To better prepare Idaho’s response time and open state access to national resources, Gov. Brad Little declared a state of emergency Friday morning against the coronavirus.

As of 9 a.m. Pacific Time, when Gov. Little began his Boise press conference, no one in Idaho had tested positive for the virus that has infected at least 125,000 people worldwide and claimed more than 4,600 lives.

Nationwide, the virus — now known as COVID-19 — has infected 1,840 Americans.

Little’s decision came in part to the fact that Idaho — one of four states yet to have a resident test positive — is now completely surrounded by states (and a province) actively combating the coronavirus. Washington is considered the pandemic’s ground zero in America, as the state has seen 31 of the nation’s 41 coronavirus deaths. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee closed all public and private K - 12 schools in three counties and banned public gatherings of 250 people or more.

“[This decision] increases our state’s access to critical supplies, such as respirators, from the national stockpiles,” Little said. “It activates the use of Idaho’s Emergency Operations plan and makes those funds available.”

The move also empowers the governor to expedite private contracts to help address the problem and speed up the credentialling process for retired and former nurses, in case the state needs to marshall more resources.

“We must not be alarmed,” he said, “but we must be cautious.”

Little announced the state of emergency in concert with the state’s Department of Health and Welfare’s formation of a strike team to protect the elderly and most physically vulnerable from the still-spreading virus.

“This strike team will be focused on accelerating the existing work to protect the health-compromised and elderly,” said Dave Jeppesen, director of Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare. “This is the vulnerable population that we’re looking to protect, and each of us need to do our part to protect them.”

Jeppesen said the quickest and easiest way to protect everyone is to take a few precautions.

“The best thing you can do to protect your family and friends who are health-compromised or elderly is to wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, avoid others who are sick, and — if you’re feeling sick or have been around those who are — please do not expose that are health-compromised or elderly,” he said.

“I want Idahoans to know we are ahead of the curve,” Little said. “We are being proactive. We are prepared for coronavirus.”